Bernard Hopkins vs. Keith Holmes was a professional boxing match contested on April 14, 2001, for the WBC and IBF middleweight championship.
[1] In March 2001 Don King held a press conference at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, to announce a three fight Middleweight World Championship Series in order to produce the first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler was stripped of the WBA title in February 1987.
The first bout would see the longest reigning of the Middleweight titlists Bernard Hopkins face Keith Holmes, with WBA champ William Joppy pitted against unified Light middleweight (and former long reigning welterweight) champion Félix Trinidad.
[4][5] In the build up Hopkins predicted a knockout victory saying "If I go the distance with that bum, I don’t deserve to win.
I guess he won’t mind me holding his belt,"[6] He would also accuse Hopkins of fighting dirty "You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
[11][12] A month later Félix Trinidad stopped William Joppy to win the WBA belt and set up a showdown with Hopkins for 15 September.